Dyson looking into past and future

A three-day test at Sebring last week had Dyson Racing looking both down the road and in its rear-view mirror. With the 2007 American Le Mans Series barely three weeks in the history books, the Dyson squad was on the 12-hour circuit getting ready for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and 2008, the Series’ 10th season of world-class sports car racing.

“Honestly, 2008 really started when the checkered flag flew at Laguna," said team principal and driver Chris Dyson. “Then we started immediately talking about next season and getting ready for Sebring.

“We carried out a pretty substantial bit of work, mostly chassis setup which will be hugely beneficial for the winter," he added. “It’s the first time since 2004 that we’re heading into the season with the car that we campaigned the previous season. That is critically important. We’ve had a full season and have been able to isolate areas of priorities."

The 2007 season marked the reunion between Dyson Racing and Porsche. After fielding Porsche 962s in IMSA GTP from 1985-1991 (with 12 race wins and 14 podiums during that span), the Rob Dyson owned-team purchased two Porsche RS Spyders for LMP2 competition last season and scored a second-place finish in the class championship.

The Sebring test also gave Chris Dyson the chance to climb behind the wheel of the team’s Porsche 962, chassis 101 for the first time for a comparison piece that will be featured in an upcoming edition of Excellence Magazine.

“Rob was originally supposed to do it but he recently broke his ankle. He’s been on crutches but should be on form in six to eight weeks," Chris Dyson said. “I had never driven the car before and it was remarkable. I don’t want to give too much away but it was really eye-opening. It’s terrific to see that in 25 years, Porsche’s commitment has never lagged. It was simply amazing to be a part of it."

The December issue also features another comparison test as Flying Lizard Motorsports’ Johannes van Overbeek takes a spin in Porsche’s GT3 RS street model. Van Overbeek finished second in the American Le Mans Series’ GT2 championship with Jörg Bergmeister in a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR.